Morphological characteristics and genetic diversity of <em>Terapon jarbua</em> (Forrskäl, 1775) in Central, Vietnam

Many environmental factors affect the morphology of migratory fish species, such as salinity, water flow rate, and temperature. However, studies on changes in fish morphology under environmental variations from salt water to brackish water are still limited in many fish species, especially in *Terapon jarbua*. This study aims to investigate the differences in the morphological parameters of *T. jarbua* between the coastal sea (seawater) and lagoon (brackish water); and between male and female fish based on a landmark morphological approach. Additionally, the genetic diversity of *T. jarbua* populations in Central Vietnam was elucidated using the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mtDNA COI) sequence as a molecular marker. The analytical results indicated no sexual dimorphism in the *T. jarbua* population, yet conformational differences exist between the two studied aquatic species. The analysis of 42 mtDNA COI sequences collected from Central Vietnam identified 13 haplotypes with medium genetic diversity and low genetic differentiation between the Tam Giang lagoon and Thua Thien Hue coastal (Fst = 0.028) and not significant (p = 0.126). Most haplotypes obtained are present in reference populations, indicating a high genetic exchange between populations. We proposed that the *T. jarbua* population in Central Vietnam has a stable connection with neighboring populations (China, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan)

Over-expression of Thioredoxin-1 mediates growth, survival, and chemoresistance and is a druggable target in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Diffuse Large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are the most prevalent of the non-Hodgkin lymphomas and are currently initially treated fairly successfully, but frequently relapse as refractory disease, resulting in poor salvage therapy options and short survival. The greatest challenge in improving survival of DLBCL patients is overcoming chemo-resistance, whose basis is poorly understood. Among the potential mediators of DLBCL chemo-resistance is the thioredxoin (Trx) family, primarily because Trx family members play critical roles in the regulation of cellular redox homeostasis, and recent studies have indicated that dysregulated redox homeostasis also plays a key role in chemoresistance. In this study, we showed that most of the DLBCL-derived cell lines and primary DLBCL cells express higher basal levels of Trx-1 than normal B cells and that Trx-1 expression level is associated with decreased patients survival. Our functional studies showed that inhibition of Trx-1 by small interfering RNA or a Trx-1 inhibitor (PX-12) inhibited DLBCL cell growth, clonogenicity, and also sensitized DLBCL cells to doxorubicin-induced cell growth inhibition in vitro. These results indicate that Trx-1 plays a key role in cell growth and survival, as well as chemoresistance, and is a potential target to overcome drug resistance in relapsed/refractory DLBCL

ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ ЭСТОЛИДОВ И ТРИАЦИЛГЛИЦЕРИНОВ МАСЛА СЕМЯН Sapium discolor: СОПОСТАВЛЕНИЕ РАЗДЕЛЕНИЯ ВЕЩЕСТВ В УСЛОВИЯХ ТРАДИЦИОННОЙ И МИКРОКОЛОНОЧНОЙ (МИЛИХРОМ А-02) ХРОМАТОГРАФИИ

Methods for the separation and UV detection of Sapium discolor seed oil estolides and triacylglycerols by traditional analytical as well as by microcolumn reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography approaches were developed. For the separation, the columns filled with Kromasil 100-5C18 sorbent were used together with the "propanol-2 – acteonitrile" mobile phase systems. The oil composition was calculated on the basis of the incremental approach. The propositions were confirmed by the mass-spectrometric and the electronic spectra data. The oil was shown to be composed of the traditional α-linolenic, linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids, and two unusual acids that match the literature data about their structure. Due to the presence of the acid radical with the chromophore O=COR1-CH=CH-CH=CHR2 composition in all estolides, the sensitive and the selective detection of the compounds was possible at the wavelength of 266 nm. This method of detection was a good alternative to the detection at 210 nm, allowing the detection of not only the estolides but also the triacylglycerols, although with approximately threefold reduced sensitivity. The experiment indicated the reduction of the total efficiency (as a number of theoretical plates) in the swap of traditional by microcolumn HPLC, and the subsequent method was proposed to separate the unseparated peaks that occur during this exchange by using the Magicplot student 2.7.2 software. This was achieved with good performance results of the qualitative and quantitative determination of the relative amounts of estolides in the oil.Key words: RP-HPLC, HPLC, microcolumn chromatography, triacylglycerols, estolides, UV detection, deconvolution of complex peaks, Magicplot student 2.7.2.(Russian)DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2018.22.1.003Anh Van Nguyen1, V.I. Deineka1, Long Quoc Pham2, Phuong Lan Doan2,L.А. Deineka1 1Belgorod National Research University, Pobeda str., 85, Belgorod, Russian Federation, 308015.2 Institute of Natural Products Chemistry, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Viet Nam, 122300Разработаны условия разделения и УФ-детектирования эстолидов (триацилглицерины с одним олигомерным радикалом кислоты) и триацилглицеринов масла семян Sapium discolor в условиях традиционной аналитической и микроколоночной обращенно-фазовой высокоэффективной жидкостной хроматографии. Для разделения использовали колонки, заполненные сорбентом Kromasil 100-5C18, и подвижные фазы системы «пропанол-2 – ацетонитрил». С использованием инкрементного подхода рассчитан и в дальнейшем подтвержден анализом электронных и масс-спектров видовой состав компонентов масла. Показано, что масло содержит радикалы традиционных α-линоленовой, линолевой, олеиновой, пальмитиновой и стеариновой кислот и двух необычных, параметры которых удовлетворяют литературным данным об их строении. Благодаря присутствию во всех эстолидах радикала кислоты с хромофором состава O=COR1-CH=CH-CH=CHR2 возможно чувствительное селективное детектирование эстолидов при длине волны 266 нм. Этот способ детектирования является хорошим дополнением к детектированию при 210 нм, позволяющему обнаруживать не только эстолиды, но и триацилглицерины, хотя и примерно со втрое сниженной чувствительностью. Экспериментально оценено снижение суммарной эффективности (по числу теоретических тарелок) при переходе от колонок с диаметром 4-4.6 мм к микроколоночной ВЭЖХ и предложен способ разделения неразделенных пиков возникающих при этом за счет использования специальной программы Magicplot student 2.7.2, с хорошими характеристиками результатов определения относительных количеств эстолидных компонентов масла.Ключевые слова: обращенно-фазовая ВЭЖХ, микроколоночная ВЭЖХ, триацилглицерины, эстолиды, УФ-детектирование, разделение сложных пиков, Magicplot student 2.7.2.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15826/analitika.2018.22.1.00

Regulation of SOX11 expression through CCND1 and STAT3 in mantle cell lymphoma

The neural transcription factor SOX11 is usually highly expressed in typical mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), but it is absent in the more indolent form of MCL. Despite being an important diagnostic marker for this hard-to-treat malignancy, the mechanisms of aberrant SOX11 expression are largely unknown. Herein, we describe 2 modes of SOX11 regulation by the cell-cycle regulator cyclin D1 (CCND1) and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). We found that ectopic expression of CCND1 in multiple human MCL cell lines resulted in increased SOX11 transcription, which correlated with increased acetylated histones H3K9 and H3K14 (H3K9/14Ac). Increased H3K9/14Ac and SOX11 expression was also observed after histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) or HDAC2 was depleted by RNA interference or inhibited by the HDAC inhibitor vorinostat. Mechanistically, we showed that CCND1 interacted with and sequestered HDAC1 and HDAC2 from the SOX11 locus, leading to SOX11 upregulation. Interestingly, our data revealed a potential inverse relationship between phosphorylated Y705 STAT3 and SOX11 expression in MCL cell lines, primary tumors, and patient-derived xenografts. Functionally, inactivation of STAT3 by inhibiting the upstream Janus kinase (JAK) 1 or JAK2 or by STAT3 knockdown was found to increase SOX11 expression, whereas interleukin-21 (IL-21)–induced STAT3 activation or overexpression of the constitutively active form of STAT3 decreased SOX11 expression. In addition, targeting SOX11 directly by RNA interference or indirectly by IL-21 treatment induced toxicity in SOX11^+ MCL cells. Collectively, we demonstrate the involvement of CCND1 and STAT3 in the regulation of SOX11 expression, providing new insights and therapeutic implications in MCL

Intensified Antituberculosis Therapy in Adults with Tuberculous Meningitis

BACKGROUND Tuberculous meningitis is often lethal. Early antituberculosis treatment and adjunctive treatment with glucocorticoids improve survival, but nearly one third of patients with the condition still die. We hypothesized that intensified antituberculosis treatment would enhance the killing of intracerebral Mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms and decrease the rate of death among patients. METHODS We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults and HIV-uninfected adults with a clinical diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis who were admitted to one of two Vietnamese hospitals. We compared a standard, 9-month antituberculosis regimen (which included 10 mg of rifampin per kilogram of body weight per day) with an intensified regimen that included higher-dose rifampin (15 mg per kilogram per day) and levofloxacin (20 mg per kilogram per day) for the first 8 weeks of treatment. The primary outcome was death by 9 months after randomization. RESULTS A total of 817 patients (349 of whom were HIV-infected) were enrolled; 409 were randomly assigned to receive the standard regimen, and 408 were assigned to receive intensified treatment. During the 9 months of follow-up, 113 patients in the intensified-treatment group and 114 patients in the standard-treatment group died (hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.73 to 1.22; P=0.66). There was no evidence of a significant differential effect of intensified treatment in the overall population or in any of the subgroups, with the possible exception of patients infected with isoniazid-resistant M. tuberculosis. There were also no significant differences in secondary outcomes between the treatment groups. The overall number of adverse events leading to treatment interruption did not differ significantly between the treatment groups (64 events in the standard-treatment group and 95 events in the intensified-treatment group, P=0.08). CONCLUSIONS Intensified antituberculosis treatment was not associated with a higher rate of survival among patients with tuberculous meningitis than standard treatment. (Funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Li Ka Shing Foundation; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN61649292.)

Reference Ranges for Bone Mineral Density and Prevalence of Osteoporosis in Vietnamese Men and Women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different reference ranges in bone mineral density on the diagnosis of osteoporosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This cross-sectional study involved 357 men and 870 women aged between 18 and 89 years, who were randomly sampled from various districts within Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. BMD at the femoral neck, lumbar spine and whole body was measured by DXA (Hologic QDR4500). Polynomial regression models and bootstraps method were used to determine peak BMD and standard deviation (<it>SD</it>). Based on the two parameters, we computed T-scores (denoted by <it>T</it>_VN) for each individual in the study. A similar diagnosis was also done based on T-scores provided by the densitometer (<it>T</it>_DXA), which is based on the US White population (NHANES III). We then compared the concordance between <it>T</it>_VNand <it>T</it>_DXAin the classification of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis was defined according to the World Health Organization criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In post-menopausal women, the prevalence of osteoporosis based on femoral neck <it>T</it>_VNwas 29%, but when the diagnosis was based on <it>T</it>_DXA, the prevalence was 44%. In men aged 50+ years, the <it>T</it>_VN-based prevalence of osteoporosis was 10%, which was lower than <it>T</it>_DXA-based prevalence (30%). Among 177 women who were diagnosed with osteoporosis by <it>T</it>_DXA, 35% were actually osteopenia by <it>T</it>_VN. The kappa-statistic was 0.54 for women and 0.41 for men.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that the <it>T-</it>scores provided by the Hologic QDR4500 over-diagnosed osteoporosis in Vietnamese men and women. This over-diagnosis could lead to over-treatment and influence the decision of recruitment of participants in clinical trials.</p

Effectiveness of cervical pessary compared to cervical cerclage with or without vaginal progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth in women with twin pregnancies and a short cervix : Study protocol for a two-by-two factorial randomised clinical trial

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Association between vitamin D insufficiency and tuberculosis in a vietnamese population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recent <it>in vitro </it>evidence suggests a link between vitamin D status and the risk of tuberculosis (TB). This study sought to examine the association between vitamin D status, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the risk of TB in a Vietnamese population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was designed as a matched case-control study, which involved 166 TB patients (113 men and 53 women), who were age-and-sex matched with 219 controls (113 men and 106 women). The average age of men and women was 49 and 50, respectively. TB was diagnosed by the presence of acid-fast bacilli on smears from sputum, and the isolation of <it>M. tuberculosis</it>. All patients were hospitalized for treatment in a TB specialist hospital. Controls were randomly drawn from the general community within the Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and PTH was measured prior to treatment by an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) on a Roche Elecsys. A serum level of 25(OH)D below 30 ng/mL was deemed to be vitamin D insufficient.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency was 35.4% in men with TB and 19.5% in controls (<it>P </it>= 0.01). In women, there were no significant differences in serum 25(OH)D and serum PTH levels between TB patients and controls. The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in women with TB (45.3%) was not significantly different from those without TB (47.6%; <it>P </it>= 0.91). However, in both genders, serum calcium levels in TB patients were significantly lower than in non-TB individuals. Smoking (odds ratio [OR] 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10 - 14.7), reduced 25(OH)D (OR per standard deviation [SD]: 1.14; 95% CI 1.07 - 10.7) and increased PTH (OR per SD 1.13; 95% CI 1.05 - 10.4) were independently associated with increased risk of TB in men.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that vitamin D insufficiency was a risk factor for tuberculosis in men, but not in women. However, it remains to be established whether the association is a causal relationship.</p

Determination of Sapium discolor seed oil estolides and triacylglycerines: comparison of the substances separation by conventional and microcolumn (Milichrome A-02) chromatography

Methods for the separation and UV detection of Sapium discolor seed oil estolides and triacylglycerols by traditional analytical as well as by microcolumn reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography approaches were developed. For the separation, the columns filled with Kromasil 100-5C18 sorbent were used together with the "propanol-2 - acteonitrile" mobile phase systems. The oil composition was calculated on the basis of the incremental approach. The propositions were confirmed by the mass-spectrometric and the electronic spectra data. The oil was shown to be composed of the traditional ?-linolenic, linoleic, oleic, palmitic and stearic acids, and two unusual acids that match the literature data about their structure. Due to the presence of the acid radical with the chromophore O=COR1-CH=CH-CH=CHR2 composition in all estolides, the sensitive and the selective detection of the compounds was possible at the wavelength of 266 nm. This method of detection was a good alternative to the detection at 210 nm, allowing the detection of not only the estolides but also the triacylglycerols, although with approximately threefold reduced sensitivity. The experiment indicated the reduction of the total efficiency (as a number of theoretical plates) in the swap of traditional by microcolumn HPLC, and the subsequent method was proposed to separate the unseparated peaks that occur during this exchange by using the Magicplot student 2.7.2 software. This was achieved with good performance results of the qualitative and quantitative determination of the relative amounts of estolides in the oil.Разработаны условия разделения и УФ-детектирования эстолидов (триацилглицерины с одним олигомерным радикалом кислоты) и триацилглицеринов масла семян Sapium discolor в условиях традиционной аналитической и микроколоночной обращенно-фазовой высокоэффективной жидкостной хроматографии. Для разделения использовали колонки, заполненные сорбентом Kromasil 100-5C18, и подвижные фазы системы «пропанол-2 - ацетонитрил». С использованием инкрементного подхода рассчитан и в дальнейшем подтвержден анализом электронных и масс-спектров видовой состав компонентов масла. Показано, что масло содержит радикалы традиционных ?-линоленовой, линолевой, олеиновой, пальмитиновой и стеариновой кислот и двух необычных, параметры которых удовлетворяют литературным данным об их строении. Благодаря присутствию во всех эстолидах радикала кислоты с хромофором состава O=COR1-CH=CH-CH=CHR2 возможно чувствительное селективное детектирование эстолидов при длине волны 266 нм. Этот способ детектирования является хорошим дополнением к детектированию при 210 нм, позволяющему обнаруживать не только эстолиды, но и триацилглицерины, хотя и примерно со втрое сниженной чувствительностью. Экспериментально оценено снижение суммарной эффективности (по числу теоретических тарелок) при переходе от колонок с диаметром 4-4.6 мм к микроколоночной ВЭЖХ и предложен способ разделения неразделенных пиков возникающих при этом за счет использования специальной программы Magicplot student 2.7.2, с хорошими характеристиками результатов определения относительных количеств эстолидных компонентов масла

Regulation of SOX11 expression through CCND1 and STAT3 in mantle cell lymphoma

The neural transcription factor SOX11 is usually highly expressed in typical mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), but it is absent in the more indolent form of MCL. Despite being an important diagnostic marker for this hard-to-treat malignancy, the mechanisms of aberrant SOX11 expression are largely unknown. Herein, we describe 2 modes of SOX11 regulation by the cell-cycle regulator cyclin D1 (CCND1) and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). We found that ectopic expression of CCND1 in multiple human MCL cell lines resulted in increased SOX11 transcription, which correlated with increased acetylated histones H3K9 and H3K14 (H3K9/14Ac). Increased H3K9/14Ac and SOX11 expression was also observed after histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) or HDAC2 was depleted by RNA interference or inhibited by the HDAC inhibitor vorinostat. Mechanistically, we showed that CCND1 interacted with and sequestered HDAC1 and HDAC2 from the SOX11 locus, leading to SOX11 upregulation. Interestingly, our data revealed a potential inverse relationship between phosphorylated Y705 STAT3 and SOX11 expression in MCL cell lines, primary tumors, and patient-derived xenografts. Functionally, inactivation of STAT3 by inhibiting the upstream Janus kinase (JAK) 1 or JAK2 or by STAT3 knockdown was found to increase SOX11 expression, whereas interleukin-21 (IL-21)–induced STAT3 activation or overexpression of the constitutively active form of STAT3 decreased SOX11 expression. In addition, targeting SOX11 directly by RNA interference or indirectly by IL-21 treatment induced toxicity in SOX11^+ MCL cells. Collectively, we demonstrate the involvement of CCND1 and STAT3 in the regulation of SOX11 expression, providing new insights and therapeutic implications in MCL